Bobcats Shida Earns Inaugural David Toms Award

SHREVEPORT, La. – Junior
Billy Shida (Berkeley Lakes, Ga.) was chosen
as the inaugural recipient of the David Toms Award, a new honor
created by Golf Coaches Association of America (GCAA) and the David
Toms Foundation to be given annually to a men's collegiate golfer
who has overcome adversity to achieve collegiate excellence. Shida
beat out golfers from across all three NCAA divisions, the NAIA and
junior college golf to receive the honor.

"Congratulations to Billy for winning the award," said PGA great
David Toms. "He has shown a great deal of perseverance to overcome
illness and other personal issues to not only excel on the golf
course but in the classroom as well. He is a great role model for a
lot of his peers in collegiate golf. I know great things are ahead
of Billy in his future, and I wish him the best."

An All-Peach Belt Conference (PBC) competitor this season, Shida
was diagnosed with Lyme disease in August 2008, then after learning
that it had progressed into chronic Lyme disease in March 2009,
Shida kept the extent of his illness to just his family and coach.

"I didn't want someone to feel sorry for me," Shida said in an
article for GolfDigest.com. "Especially around my
teammates. I never wanted the attention for it. If it did come up,
I would downplay it."

The disease had a tremendous effect on Shida’s health,
producing achy joints, pounding headaches, unforgiving back pain,
and bouts of lethargy. Despite the litany of debilitating effects,
Shida was a regular starter as a sophomore, pounding out a 74.5
stroke average as one of just three Bobcats to start all 12 events.
In addition to the physical pain, Shida battled the sun as well.
Tetracycline, the medication used to treat Lyme disease, limits the
amount of time one can spend in the sun’s rays.

All of the hard work and difficult treatment began to pay off
last fall, as doctors told Shida the disease was in remission.

"I feel so much better," Shida added in the GolfDigest
article, an accounting major who has maintained a 3.0 GPA despite
the illness. "The back pains are 100 times better. Being a golfer
you still sometimes get aches and soreness, but it’s hard to
describe how much better I feel. The pain I went through …
some days it was difficult to just get around. Since it went into
remission, I haven’t had to deal with the back pain. It was
something that's not on my mind anymore."

Shida takes an assortment of herbs daily to treat minor
discomfort, also serving as a preventative measure should the
disease recur. During his worst times, Shida leaned on family to
help him cope. Additionally, he credits GCSU head golf coach and
associate athletic director Jimmy
Wilson for being a mentor and trusted friend.

"Jimmy went to a few doctor’s appointments with me," Shida
said. "He's the ultimate encourager."

Wilson was also there when Shida was a freshman and struggled to
deal with the separation of his parents (they have since
reconciled), a personal matter that caused Shida to be distracted
on the course, so much so that he wondered whether he wanted to
play the game anymore. In the midst of being treated for Lyme
disease, Shida also had three swollen lymph nodes removed from his
neck. While there was initial fear of a potential cancer threat, it
thankfully was not the case with the nodes testing benign.

A Christian, Shida contends that his faith helped him ultimately
persevere through all the troubles he has faced. "Everything
happens for a reason and I truly believe that," he said in
GolfDigest. "Turning to my faith, I know I was healed
through the hands of God. I’ve learned to really cherish the
health that I do have. I know how it feels to struggle to get up in
the morning and [when] it hurts to swing a club. My entire outlook
on life has been altered because of all this. I like to say
I’m a better friend, a better person, and it's made me a more
mature individual."

Shida’s maturity has also shown on the course in 2009-10,
a year he spent with a 73.3 stroke average and four top-10 finishes
in his 11 starts. His best finish came in the Kiawah Island
Invitational kicking off the season Sept. 7-8. Shida carded a pair
of under-par 71s for third place, helping guide the team to a
tournament title.

He also helped bring the Bobcats to a PBC Tournament
Championship for the first time in 10 seasons, finishing seventh as
an individual at plus-seven. Shida will be heavily counted upon for
senior leadership and low scores next season.

The GCSU Department of Athletics, winners of the 2008-09 PBC
Commissioner's Cup, sponsors 10 varsity athletic programs at the
NCAA Division II level. As a Division II program, Georgia College
prides itself on balancing the life of the student-athlete,
evidenced by the Bobcats' multiple appearances in post-season
competition as well as documented academic success and
community-service involvement. Sign up at Twitter.com username
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